*D.C. United reached the midway point of the MLS season with its most satisfying result, a 1-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls. The deal to acquire Dwayne De Rosario continues to pay dividends, and on his goal-scoring sequence, he broke from the player for whom he was traded, Dax McCarty, to fire home the go-ahead strike. United has now secured more victories away (Toronto, Portland, New York) than at RFK Stadium (Columbus, Seattle) -- an encouraging sign heading into Saturday’s match at FC Dallas (7-2-2 at home, eight goals against). The club is also one victory from equaling last season’s win total (six). United is tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference, level on points with Kansas City but with one fewer match played. The gap between first and sixth place is just six points, and among those clubs, United has played the fewest games (three fewer than the Red Bulls).

On a dour note, United's concussion list continues to grow after Blake Brettschneider took a boot to the head. He joins Devon McTavish, Santino Quaranta and Brandon Barklage.

*Three of the four semifinal berths in the Women’s World Cup have been secured: Japan, France and Sweden. The final slot will be filled today as the United States faces Brazil in Dresden (11:30 a.m. ET, ESPN, Galavision, ESPN3.com). One semifinal pairing Wednesday is set: Japan, a 1-0 upset winner over Germany, against Sweden, which overpowered Australia this morning, 3-1.

Steven Goff has covered soccer for The Washington Post since the early 1990s. His beats include D.C. United, MLS and the U.S. national teams. He has been on assignment at every World Cup since 1994, plus four Women's World Cups.